Behaving Badly
by Zaneytwilightgirl
Summary: Edward is a notorious bad boy and Bella moves to town. However, Bella's a play by the rules girl. When they meet sparks will fly. But Bella's got some problems of her own. Edward wants to help, but will he be able to help or will he hinder?
1. Chapter 1

**Behaving Badly**

**In a tiny room, in a tiny building, in a tiny town**

Principle Mackey sighed tiredly and took off his glasses, rubbing his shiny forehead.

"Mr. Cullen, I just don't understand it. Your brother is a model citizen, your mother is a respectable woman of the community, and your father is a world renowned doctor. _Why do you keep ending up in my office?_"

A boy was seated in a plain brown chair with wooden arm rests. Actually, sitting did not describe his position. The boy was slouched down, sprawled out on the chair with his feet propped up on the principal's desk. Principal Mackey swatted at his feet until he removed him. Running a tan hand through his now tousled bronze hair, the boy smirked.

"Well John-" he folded his hands together like the older man had his.

"It's Principal Mackey to you, Mr. Cullen."

The boy shrugged. "Okay Mack, here's the deal. When I was a really little kid . . ." He drew off strategically.

The principal looked heavenward in silent prayer that this would be a turning point.

"My mother always told me that I was supposed to be creative, find myself. Well, I have found myself. I love mayhem. In fact, it's a big part of my life. I like to be creative it's the way I express myself."

The principal dropped his head in his hands.

"Edward," he groaned.

"Yes John," he said promptly.

"Mr. Cullen."

"Mack."

"There are limits to creativity, when your search for . . ."

"My identity."

"Yes, your identity continues, there must be limits for you."

"Your pamphlet doesn't say anything about limits in here, actually," the boy countered, "I do believe it directs you to pass limits."

"What pamphlet?"

The boy reached in the back pocket of his baggy pants and whipped out a green tri-fold brochure.

The principal grabbed the pamphlet and skimmed through it.

_Surpass limits you thought you couldn't . . ._

_Find yourself; it's important for you to know who you are . . ._

_Be creative; don't let anything hold you back . . ._

The principal closed his eyes, no longer wishing to see the growing smirk on the teen's face.

"For the love of . . . Edward, it means within reason."

"I find what I did perfectly reasonable."

"Within school policy."

"Well you see John-"

"Principal Mackey."

"Mack, it doesn't specify in the pamphlet, so how was I supposed to differentiate?"

"Edward, I can't let you go unpunished for this act of, heaven help me, mayhem."

The boy's eyes gleamed at the word.

"It wasn't a big deal."

"Edward, I-"

"John."

The principal sputtered indignantly.

"Mr. Cullen, making America's Most Wanted posters and putting Mr. Banner's picture in for one of the Top Ten Most Wanted pictures and posting it around the school is a very big deal."

"Well, they try to apprehend people that commit heinous crimes after all."

"Heinous crimes?"

"Yes."

"What possible crime could Mr. Banner, the biology teacher have committed?"

"Several, but the most important is probably murder."

"Murder?"

"Yes, over the years, I have personally witnessed hundreds of cold-blooded murders that Mr. Banner has committed."

"Edward," the principal muttered in warning.

The boy flashed his hands up innocently. "I have proof. I have a picture of Mr. Banner standing over one of the bodies with the weapon that killed it."

The principal stared at the boy; he was seriously starting to creep him out.

"Give it to me."

The boy handed over the photo and the principal took it, he almost didn't want to look at it.

He looked down and started rubbing his forehead again. He started shaking. The boy couldn't tell whether it was crying or laughing, either way, the boy found it amusing.

"Edward-"

"John."

"For heaven's sake Edward, dissecting frogs is part of the curriculum, not murder!"

"Tell that to the SPCA."

The principal didn't even want to know, but the boy filled him in on it anyway.

"The Society of Prevention to Cruelty to Animals."

"Edward, I'm giving you a detention."

The boy smiled mildly. "Fair enough."

The principal frowned. He shouldn't be giving in so easily.

"One more incident like this and I'll suspend you."

"What else have I done?"

"Don't get me started on the fire alarm incident."

The boy looked at him in disbelief. "I smelled smoke, how was I supposed to know that the cafeteria just burnt the mystery meat?"

The principal was definitely laughing now. A very disturbing, crazy laugh.

"Leave Mr. Cullen, before I change my mind about your punishment. I have to introduce the new student to the school and I do not want her first impression of the people here to be you."

The boy shrugged off the chair and pulled out a flat billed hat and put it on backward.

"Later John."

"It's Principal," the door slammed, "Mackey," the principal finished tiredly.

What am I going to do with that boy?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate the support.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, just this idea!

**Third Person**

"Well Miss Swan, are you ready to meet your new family?" The social services woman looked at her hopefully as Bella dragged her lone bag out of the trunk. It held everything she wanted or needed. She hoped this family would be different, better than the last one. The one that she'd been a part of for eight years, the eight years she'd been with the service.

That was the problem actually. They'd treated her nice enough, from a distance, they'd never really expressed any emotions toward her, she'd always felt like an outsider of the edge of something she'd never really know.

She lugged her bag up the wooden steps that lead to a badly neglected house. It was in poor condition, in serious need of a paint job.

The door opened and a haggard looking woman opened the door. She greeted the social worker and then sent her on her way. The social worker, Jane she'd said her name was mouthed 'good luck' as she disappeared from sight.

The woman stared at her disinterestedly. "Well," she spoke finally, "I'll drive you to school today, but from then on, you'll have to find another way. You'll meet the rest of the family later, in the evening."

She ushered Bella in the car, not even taking her to her room, making her keep her bag in the living room. She dropped her off at a tiny building and drove off without another glance or word.

Well that was nice, Bella thought frowning, this wasn't going to be any different would it?

She walked to the office and waited in a chair in the secretary's room until the principal was free.

**Bella's POV**

"Miss Swan?" I looked up to meet the secretary's gaze as she called me up to the desk. "Principal Mackey's busy right now with another student, fill out these forms and then you can go in to talk to him."

I took the thick stack of forms and pulled out a piece of paper from my back pocket. It had all of my information on it, since I couldn't possibly already remember everything about my new 'home.'

Twenty minutes later, I handed her the completed stack and she gave me a piece of paper again. "Take this home and have you parents-I mean your guardians sign it and bring it back tomorrow."

She seemed flustered by her mistake.

"It's not a big deal," I assured her, and then slipped it in my back pocket.

The door flew open and a person slammed it shut as they walked out.

I watched as a tall boy walked past me, not even giving me a second glance.

He walked over the desk.

"Hey Linda," he purred to the secretary.

"Hello Edward," she nervously patted her hair. "What did you do this time?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him. Was she seriously flirting with him?

"Oh, put a teacher on America's Top Ten Most Wanted list, same old, same old."

What the . . . seriously?

The boy turned his head then and caught me blatantly staring at him.

I got a full look at his gorgeous face. I couldn't see his hair because it was stuffed under a backward baseball cap, but I was sure it had to be as beautiful as the rest of him.

"Who's that?" He jerked a careless thumb in my direction.

"New girl," the secretary whispered to him.

He grinned, "See you later Linda."

"Bye Edward."

He turned to me and winked before exiting the office.

Jerk, I told myself sternly as my heart rate sped up.

"Miss Swan, you can go in."

After I got the new school lecture from the principal, I walked out of the office, stumbling on the tile. I caught myself, straightened my clothes and continued walking down the hallway.

"Hey, new girl."

The voice was beautiful, velvety and soft, and I knew it.

The boy, Edward I thought his name was, was leaning against the wall.

I ignored him and kept on walking. He shrugged away from the wall and kept pace with me.

"What's your name?"

I pursed my lips. I loved school, and that was the one thing no one could take from me, and I learned early on that distractions were not acceptable. Not that a guy had ever been a distraction until now. Usually they weren't too interested in me, I was too bland.

"I bet it's Mindy. You look like a Mindy. So where's your first class?"

Thankfully, the door with the right number on it appeared. "Right here, see ya." With that, I slipped into the classroom.

**Edward's POV**

As I was talking to Linda, I saw her, a pale girl with chocolate colored hair and full, luscious looking lips. She was staring at me, clearly entranced.

"Who's that?"

"New girl," Linda whispered to me.

Fresh prey. This would be great. And she already liked me. I would have this one in no time, and for some reason, I really wanted this one.

Instead of going to my second period class, I waited just outside for her to come out. Sure enough she came out, somehow stumbling on something. She caught herself.

"Hey, new girl."

She tilted her head at me for a second, recognition in her eyes and then ignored me.

"What's your name?"

Her lips were pouty now. Very kissable. I shook my head, "I bet it's Mindy. You look like a Mindy. So where's your first class?"

Her eyes lighted on a door and then she grasped the handle. "Right here, see ya."

She ducked into the room as if it was a sanctuary. I was stunned, did she just like, turn me down?

Then I smiled, she had no idea what she was up against. I always win.

**Bella's POV**

I actually liked this place. It surprised me that I could like such a tiny school, but I did. I had already made a couple of friends by lunch. Alice and Rosalie who were in my English class had befriended me immediately. Alice was faintly over energetic and peppy, and Rosalie was outgoing and beautiful. I was a little daunted by them, but they took to me as if we had been friends since kindergarten.

We walked into the lunch room together. Alice, though tiny, strongly pulled me over to a table.

"This is Jasper, my boyfriend, and this is Emmett, Rosalie's boyfriend."

She pointed at a lean, blonde boy, and a huge, muscular one. Was this like a modeling academy or something? I felt completely out of my element.

I looked around the room and saw a blonde girl glaring at me from her seat. Why was she staring at me like that? What did I do to her? Brushing that aside, I stopped looking at her and focused on them.

"Hi," I said shyly and sat down. There was one empty seat at the table. Noticing my gaze, Alice smiled. "That's reserved for Jasper's brother, but he rarely graces us with our presence, usually he skips lunch to do heaven knows what sort of havoc."

"Now, now, Ali, what have I done to you?"

I froze. My body tensed. There it was again. That soft velvety voice. No, it couldn't be him.

The chair was pulled out, and he sat down.

"Hello there," a voice murmured against my ear, brushing my hair.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I slid to the other side of my seat.

"Umm, Edward, why are you molesting my new friend?"

"New friend? We met earlier, we're close friends aren't we, Mindy?"

He nudged my shoulder playfully.

"Mindy? Her name's Bella." I shot a look at Alice and she added quickly. "And she's our friend which means she's not interested in you Edward."

Emmett laughed at the look on Edward's face. "Ha, ha, bet that messes with your mind doesn't it Edward?"

I stole a glance at Edward, and I saw he was smiling. "It would if it was true."

"It is," I said stiffly. I didn't know him, but I did know he was trouble with a capital T.

Edward just leaned in close to me and said, "We'll see."

He stood up then and walked out of the room. My face was on fire.

"That's your brother?" I looked at Jasper who looked very preppy on the whole. He matched Alice from what I could tell.

"Yes, he's I guess you could say the black sheep of the family."

"Where's he going?" I asked him curiously.

"Who knows?"

"Well, he can't just leave lunch can he?"

That had to be against the rules.

"I don't think he cares whether it's permitted or not."

I couldn't fathom that.

Shrugging it off, I spent the rest of the lunch getting to know everyone. Apparently, Alice and Rosalie were sisters, Edward and Jasper were brothers and Emmett was an only child. We just clicked. By the end of lunch, we were laughing and joking with each other.

I headed to math as the bell rang. I slid into the seat that was pointed to me.

When the bell rang, I still wasn't sitting with anyone, so I guessed the desk was just always empty.

I guessed wrong. Fifteen minutes into the lecture and two pages of meticulous notes later, the door opened, and Edward entered.

"Mr. Cullen, where's your pass?"

"That's a good question, Mr. Sturridge. I guess I forgot to get one."

The teacher frowned at him. "Don't let it happen again."

Edward smirked. "I won't."

To my dismay, I realized the only open seat was next to me. He looked over and saw me and a sexy grin widened his mouth.

He tossed his notebook down. "Hey again. Looks like we're destined to meet, huh?"

I avoided his searing gaze and continued taking notes on the lecture.

"Hey, aren't you going to talk to me?" He whispered.

"No," I whispered back finally, "I'm paying attention. We're not supposed to be talking."

Enlightenment hit his green, emerald eyes. "And you always do what you're supposed to, don't you."

"Maybe," I mumbled, glancing away from his eyes, and trying to push away the disturbing feelings that were fluttering inside me.

Thankfully, math class wasn't the longest period. When it ended, I rushed away, and thankfully, he didn't follow me. What was wrong with him? Why did he keep trying to talk to me?

Finishing the day out, I realized that I didn't have a way home.

"Hey there," a voice called out to me from a red car. I sighed in relief. It was Alice and Rosalie.

"Hey."

"Would you like a ride home?"

"Sure, that would be great."

I climbed in and as we took off, Rosalie turned her head around. "So, do you remember where they dropped you off?"

I told them the directions. I had already explained that I was living with a new family, that hadn't even bothered to tell me what their name was. Everyone had kindheartedly listened to my story. I pulled out the slip of paper then and read it to them. Rosalie's eyes had widened at me sympathetically.

"What."

"Well," Alice grimaced. "The Petersons, well . . . you'll find out soon enough. I don't like Kyle or Jessica."

"Who are they?" I was completely mystified about my new 'family.'

"I'm assuming they're your new foster brother and sister."

Rosalie looked at me again. "Jessica was the blonde glaring at you in the lunch room."

Great.

They dropped me off, waving as they pulled away.

I walked into the house, nervous, but hopeful that it wouldn't be as bad as they had made it out to be. I was naively optimistic.

I walked into the living room.

"Um . . . hello?" I called out tentatively.

The woman from before walked in.

"You're here, Jessica was home ten minutes ago, where were you?"

No hey honey, glad you're home. No hug. No, what's your name.

Nothing.

"I had to find a ride home."

"Well, next time find it quicker. Get your bag, I'll show you your room." I grabbed my luggage and followed her up a flight of stairs. "That's Jessica's room, and that's Kyle's room. Our room is to the right." She pointed out the rooms.

Where was mine?

She went up another flight and we were in the tiny attic. "This is your room. Rodger is bringing home dinner, come down if you want some, it'll probably be around five."

This was not good. What kind of a place had I been sent to? I supposed Rodger was her husband. I'd yet to see Kyle, her son.

I put my bag and book bag down and pulled out my homework, sitting on my tiny single bed, since I didn't have a desk. I looked around; actually, I didn't have a whole lot. There was a dresser beside my bed and that was it. The floor was a dusty wooden floor. The room was so tiny that I didn't even have a closet. The window was big though. It almost took up the entire north wall. I looked out; there was a huge tree beside it. Well, at least that was pretty. As long as I could find a good library, then maybe this wouldn't be so bad. It was January, and the day started to fade quickly. I flicked on my light, it was old, but at least usable. I just kept my things in my bag, there was no reason to take them out yet, this didn't feel like home.

I glanced at my watch after finishing my homework. It was five thirty. I hadn't heard anyone arrive here, but that wasn't surprising seeing as I was so far away from the rest of the house.

I went downstairs, the stairs creaking at each step.

A man was sitting in an arm chair in the living room, drinking a beer. The woman was washing the dishes in the kitchen. I walked into the living room and stood in front of the man.

"Hi, I'm Bella."

I stuck out my hand and he ignored it.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I thought that-"

He snorted and took a swig. "You thought, that's nice, you can think, I know you're here. I'm busy, the game's on."

I pulled the paper out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Well, if you could just sign this."

He took the paper from me, snatched it more like, and went and got a pen. He signed it quickly. As soon as I took it from him, he reached up and I realized what he was about to do. He slapped me across the face and I stumbled backward, clutching my face.

I stared at him in shock.

"That was rule number one. I told you that I was busy. Don't interrupt me when I'm busy, now get out of my sight."

I scurried up the stairs. What had I gotten into?

As I was making my way to the third floor stairs, a blonde head emerged from one of the rooms.

"Are you the foster kid?"

I nodded to her, hoping there wasn't a handprint.

"Well, I saw you today, you were with the Cullens and Hales weren't you?"

I nodded again.

"My names Jessica, I'm your foster sister."

"Bella, it's nice to meet you."

She came forward and gave me a hug. I relaxed, finally a normal person in the family. "Well Bella, if you talk to them again, I'll make your life a living hell. So I would suggest you stay away from them."

I stepped back.

"Well, well, well."

I looked over to see a boy with black hair spring up the steps, he was darkly handsome.

"Who's this; this can't be the new foster kid is it?"

Jessica smirked, "Yeah, gonna be trouble already, I can tell." She turned and walked into her room and then leaned out. "By the way Kyle, Cullen was all over her today."

I was on the first step, leaving the hall, when he caught my wrist. He gave me an appraising look.

"So you met the infamous Cullen freak, huh new kid."

I tried to pull my wrist away, but he wouldn't let go. "It's Bella."

He smiled, "Bella, that's a pretty name."

"Thanks," I mumbled and tried once again to pull my wrist away.

He wouldn't let go however. He pulled me into one of the rooms saying, "Come on, I want to show you my room."

His room was twice the size of mine and basically your average guy room.

"So what do you think?"

"It's nice."

He was still staring at me. I just wanted to escape up to my room, get away from this psycho family.

"So you met Rodger and Heidi right?"

"Uh, Heidi's your mom, right?"

"Yeah, not really the emotional type, I know."

He laughed and I followed suit, trying to relax.

"Well," he said after a moment, "this is weird."

"Yeah," I agreed with him, "I know it's weird to have an addition to your family, it's weird for me too."

He had a strange look in his eyes. "No, I mean it's weird that I'm really attracted to you. But then, it's not like you're my sister or anything, so I guess it's not that weird, it's just like you're a tenant or something."

I stared at him in shock, was he serious? What kind of a family was I in?

I slid off the bed and reached the door. He was behind me in an instant. He stepped closer; I pressed my back against the door.

"I-I don't feel the same way, sorry." I said, panicked as he came even closer.

He grinned. "I'm sure you'll feel differently in a moment."

"N-" was all I could get out of my mouth before he pressed against me and covered his mouth on mine. I was disgusted and tried to push him away, but all he did was grab both of my wrists and pin them above my head, on the door. I whimpered as he relentlessly kissed me hard and forced his tongue into my mouth. I was in hell. I closed my eyes.

Finally, he pulled away to take a ragged breath and I pleaded with him. "Please, just let me go, I really don't like you, honestly, please."

He grinned, actually grinned, and then released my hands. "You must be pretty new at this. Okay, I'll give you some time. Not too long though."

I didn't even hear him as I jerked open the door and ran up the stairs, tripping on the last one and falling hard. I ran into my room and went to lock it. My door had no lock.

I stared around. I needed some kind of protection. I knew that, so I pushed my dresser in front of my door. Dressing quickly into my pajamas, I crawled into my tiny bed. I would only have a year and a half left of this. I could do this. I repeated this over to myself as I broke down and cried myself to sleep. I didn't feel welcome here. I didn't like it here. I didn't feel safe here. What was going to happen?

A/N: Sorry to have to do that to Bella, but it was crucial to the plot. Don't you just hate Bella's foster family? More to come. Review and give me your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews; they were very helpful and encouraging.

**Edward's POV**

". . . so very disappointed in you." My mother turned to glare at me from the driver's seat of my Volvo. "Do you have any idea what I go through every time I see the school number pop up on my phone?"

"Your heart starts racing as you contemplate what atrocity your problem child has committed this time?" I supplied helpfully.

She focused on the road, attempting not to be swayed by humor. She should know she couldn't win this game. She was a sucker for her youngest son.

"Edward," she attempted to say sternly, not quite hiding the tremble of laughter.

"Yes Mom?"

"I need to know, why do you do this to yourself?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play with me young man. You're so much brighter than anyone I know-"

I smirked, "Don't let Jasper hear you say that, or Dad for that matter," I added as an afterthought.

She glared at me. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Moooommmm," I drew out the word in a whiney seven-year-old voice. "It's probably because you insist on degrading me and humiliating me every step of the way. It's freaking embarrassing Mom, to tell you the truth, for a guy, who's a junior, to have his _mother_ drive him to school, in his completely awesome, sweet car."

She made a turn, causing the charms on her bracelet clink together. What kind of a mother wears a charm bracelet anyway?

"Number one, Edward, I do not like profanity."

I held up my hands innocently. "I do not have a clue what you're referring to."

"You know perfectly well I detest the word freaking," she shuddered delicately as she said it, "it is just a sorry excuse and substitute for the real word that I detest worse."

"Mom," I said patiently, "that's not a real curse word; a real one would be-"

"Enough! Edward, don't make me hit you."

I gave her a look of horror and shrank back to the side door. "Are you going to turn abusive now that I'm not living up to your expectations?"

"Edward," she commented dryly, "I'm not impressed."

"Is that why you're not letting me drive my car, because I'm not impressive enough for you? Is that it?"

"You are really pushing my patience today. You are prohibited from driving because you made wanted posters of your science teacher, on your father's copier machine I might add."

"Hey," I argued, "wasn't it you who said I was supposed to use the advantages that were given to me, to appreciate what I had and use it to the best of my ability?"

"And," she continued, not swayed by my excellent interpretive skills, "you were already on probation for the vandalism."

I looked at her blankly.

"Oh don't give me that, you know what you did."

I continued to stare blankly. "Did what?"

"You spray painted the town, the sidewalk, and various building, we had to pay for the paint to cover it up, and the sidewalk's never been the same again."

"You offered to pay for it. I was never formally charged with anything."

"Edward, we found a dozen paint cans in your closet."

"Maybe I just wanted to get high."

She gave me a warning look.

"Plus, you told me to do it."

"Edward! I said that the town was bland and it would be refreshing to see some color in it."

"Exactly."

"Honey, I think if you could graduate school you should definitely become a lawyer."

"Thank you, I always knew I had potential."

"I think if we just got you on the right track, you could go places."

"Well, I'd have to change into my running shoes of course."

"And so that's why I booked you a meeting with the new school psychologist."

That one stopped me, mid-retort.

"What?"

"Yes, the psychologist, I have you booked for five sessions and then we'll go from there."

"Wait a minute."

"Oh look we're here."

"Mom, c'mon, you just can't do this to me."

"That's why we left early; your session is going to be from 7:00 to 8:00 before school on Fridays."

I got out of the car reluctantly. She jerked the door shut. I leaned in the window desperately. "Mom, no, I can't, don't make me."

She threw my book bag out the window. "Have a nice day sweetie." And then she peeled away, leaving me to my fate.

As I walked through the parking lot, I considered my options. I could always just skip. But then, he'd probably call my parents, I'd be screwed then. So I would have to go to the thing. Then I smiled, this guy would never see it coming.

I was walking toward the front doors when I saw a huddled form on the bench beside the doors. As I got closer, I saw that the person was actually the new girl. What was going on?

Gently, I shook her awake.

"Hey, Mindy."

She jerked upward from her back pack pillow and was gasping quickly.

"Hey, hey, hey," I patted her shoulder and tried to get her to calm down. "It's just me, it's just me."

Slowly, her breathing returned to normal and she looked at me suspiciously.

After she was calm, I grinned at her.

"Swan, I knew that you were dedicated, but I didn't know you got to school this early, do you live here or something?"

"Very clever, no I don't live here," she retorted.

"Then why are you sleeping on a bench outside of the school?"

"I wanted to be on time."

"Sure," I muttered in disbelief. "I'm sure that that's why you would come to school, oh say, an hour and fifteen minutes before school starts."

She glared at me defiantly. "I wanted to come, there's no problem in that."

I looked around for her car. "Did you drive to school?" I asked curiously.

"Yes," she said after a moment's hesitation.

"Where's your car?"

That seemed to throw her for a loop. She'd obviously been lying.

"Um."

"I know you didn't, so how did you get here?"

She muttered something indistinguishable.

"What was that?"

"I said, it's really none of your business, but I walked here."

"You walked here? Seriously, where do you live?"

She pulled out this little piece of paper from her jeans pocket.

"Sycamore Street."

"What's with the paper?"

"Oh, it's got the information about my new address and foster family and stuff like that." She grimaced when she said foster family.

I wondered what was up with that.

"Does it have information about you on there?"

"Yes?"

Quick as a flash, I snatched the paper from her and leapt away from her reach for it.

"What are you doing?"

"Learning more about you Mindy."

I read aloud from the paper.

"Isabella Marie Swan, age 17 years old," I stopped for a minute. "Bella? I thought your name was Mindy. What else have you been holding out on?"

**Bella's POV**

I was astonished to see it was Edward waking me up. I hadn't planned on falling asleep, but I had woke up early so I could get out of the house without anyone being up yet. I snuck outside and walked all the way to school.

"Isabella Marie Swan, age 17 years old. Bella? I thought your name was Mindy. What else have you been holding out on?"

I helpless to stop the giggle that forced itself out. I tried to grab the paper away again and he leapt out of reach.

He continued on. "It says here that you grew up in Phoenix Bella, if that is your real name," he said it accusingly. "So, you were moved to live on lonely Sycamore Street with the . . ." he trailed off. "The Peterson family."

He was quiet and I knew why now.

"Are they treating you alright?" His tone surprised me; it was almost fierce, almost . . . compassionate.

"Yes, everything's fine."

He looked at me doubtfully as though he didn't believe me at all. Maybe I hesitated too much before I lied. I would have to work on that.

"Hmm . . . just stay away from Kyle alright?"

I gave him a look. "He's kind of my step brother and we kind of live in the same house there Edward."

"As much as possible then."

"Edward, just don't get involved in this," I warned him.

His gaze was level. "Fine."

I breathed out. At least I wouldn't have to worry about anyone finding out . . . for now.

He took on a mischievous look. "I have to go to the library, I'll see you around."

Why was that devious? The library? It was probably another one of his pranks. It would be better if I didn't know.

"Have fun," I managed to say as he blew me a fake kiss. The elation that I felt just then was probably just from him leaving, not the kiss, I assured myself as I watched him go.

A/N: Yes, the next scene will be Edward and the psychologist. Hope you liked it. I know it's a little short. Review and tell me what you thought.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews, I appreciate them soo much. I enjoyed reading each and every single one. Also, the reason Bella doesn't want anyone to know about her abuse, is because she never really had a good foster experience, or a good experience about being treated right. On some level, she believes this is a crazy family, but she also believes this is something she has to deal with alone. She's always had to rely on herself and she's never been able to have someone help her before.

**Philip Coleman's POV**

I was sitting at my desk, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when a boy walked through my office door. It was new, and the bright brass name plate still shone brightly.

I was very excited about this, it was my first job and I was sure this was an improvement from my auditing job in Seattle, despite what my mother said.

The boy was clearly used to being labeled a troublemaker. His black shirt and backwards hat, plus the baggy jeans that showed about three inches of his boxer shorts. Oh yes, he was definitely misunderstood.

"Good morning Mr. Cullen. I thought you decided not to come today."

He smirked. "Had to go to the library, I had a research paper due."

"Ah yes," I sighed, "I still remember the good ole high school days. Have you been working on it hard?"

He lay down on the half couch, resting the back of his head on his hands.

"Not particularly."

"Oh." Obviously, he was a reserved child.

There was a pregnant pause.

"So, I'm Philip Coleman, the new psychologist for Forks High. Mrs. Sherri unfortunately had to leave the position, so I'm the permanent replacement."

His mouth twitched when I mentioned the former psychologist.

"Did you know Mrs. Sherri, Edward?"

He held an intriguing look in his eyes. "Nope, I didn't know her. Just curious Doc, did they tell you the reason that she left?" The gleam held steady.

"They said that she was on maternity leave and decided to become a full time mother, and you can call me Doctor Coleman Edward."

"Oh, that was smart of them." There was definitely a trace of humor in his tone. I wrote that down on my pad, I needed to delve further into the relationship Edward had with the former psychologist.

"Would you like to tell me a little about yourself Edward?"

He diligently observed the ceiling.

"I really want you to make an effort at this Edward."

Silence.

"Remember, anything said in this room, stays in this room. Everything is completely confidential." That would draw him in.

"Why is it confidential?"

"Because, that gives you a sense of security to feel free to say anything you wish at all."

"Maybe I don't want this to be confidential; is that just to protect your rights?"

"No, Edward, it's not just for my righ-"

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable not being able to repeat what happens in here."

I gave him a level gaze.

"Fine we won't have confidentiality."

"Are you crazy, what kind of a psychologist are you? You can't tell anyone what I say; you're bound by the law. Are you trying to take away my rights?"

I dropped my head in my hands.

"Okay Edward, how about this, you can tell anyone you want what happens in here, but I won't tell a soul."

"Not even your wife?"

I shifted uncomfortably.

"Doctor Phil, do you even _have_ a wife?"

"Today is not about me, let's focus on you Edward."

"Do you live with your mother Doctor Phil?"

He looked as if he had just been given a pot of candy.

"My life is not on trial now Edward-"

"Oh so it's my life on trial? That makes me feel real good about this whole situation."

Unable to help myself, I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just move along with the session."

"Doctor Phil?"

"Hmm?"

"Is this your first job as a psycho—I mean psychologist?"

"Yes," I ground out.

There was that infuriating smirk again. "Were you an accountant?"

**Edward's POV**

I could see the irritation and disbelief on his face, and I knew I'd hit close to the mark. He was obviously having a midlife crisis and had decided to go to a whole new position. You would have to be insane or on the brink of a crisis to pick a job like this.

He'd probably just finished his training courses. Well, I'd just have to introduce him properly to the world of the emotionally challenged teenagers he'd just plunged into, both feet first.

"You know Doc; I had an enlightenment, that's why I decided to make this meeting."

"Oh really, an enlightenment, would you like to tell me about it?"

I shrugged, appearing not to care. "Sure, why not? Okay, so I was at home drinking—I mean thinking, and I remembered that Wendy's commercial. You know the one with the guy with the red hair?"

He nodded.

"Well, anyways, I saw myself as him, and just when all the people were running into the black hole, I stopped and I was like, wait a minute, _this isn't right_, I deserve a hot juicy burger. I just wanted to know what that meant."

He sat there, completely entranced as I told him this completely ridiculous story. He was too easy.

"Well Edward, do you think that instead of a juicy burger, your burger could represent a better life?"

I pretended to think about it for a moment.

"No, I'm pretty sure I meant a burger, drinking—I mean thinking makes me really hungry."

"Oh."

It was time to move on to faze two.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, yeah," I put in, saying it sheepishly and looking away.

"What's wrong Edward, you can talk to me about anything."

"It's just . . . is there such a thing as being too stressed out?"

He looked delighted with this change of events.

"Why certainly Edward, it's absolutely a reality for many people. Tell me, why do you feel stressed out?"

"Well," I sighed dramatically, "I'm a peer leader, peer mediator, camp counselor, football quarterback, I have a part-time job at the grocery store, I volunteer at the local animal shelter," he was flipping through my file as I continued, nodding along, "I have a 4.0 GPA, I run track during the spring, and I'm a boy scout. I don't know, it's just stressing me out. I feel like I'm at my max."

He made eye contact. "I can certainly see why doing all of that would up your stress levels, but honestly, I can't find any of that in your file."

"Well, I've been thinking that I ought to do all of those things, and it's really been taxing on my mind lately."

**Doctor Philip Coleman's POV**

This was amazing, the boy simply had a cornucopia of issues, he had a hard shell, but I was sure I was cracking it.

"Can I talk about my childhood Doc?"

"Sure, that would be excellent." We were really connecting.

"Well, after a while, the slaps just became ordinary-"

"Wait a second, slaps?"

He nodded patiently, "From my brother. Jasper has always been jealous of me."

I wrote that down on my pad.

"Uh huh and why do you think your brother is jealous of you?"

"Well, he always is telling me it's not fair that I got all the good looks in the family, and the brains, and all the superior traits. So he makes up for it by hitting me."

I was appalled; here was a good child in a very bad home situation.

"And what do your parents do when he hits you?"

He shrugged carelessly, spinning his hat on his hand. "Dad's never home, he's always working and Mom's obsessive compulsive."

"Surely your father can't work all the time."

"Well, I suppose he did make it to my fourth grade spelling bee," he frowned. "Oh no, that's right, mom videotaped it for him though."

This was a textbook case of child neglect. I would have to call a meeting with his parents.

"And your mother?"

"Clean freak, controlling about my life, obsessive compulsive, she dotes on Jasper and I frequently get the shaft."

"My arms used to be black and blue from all of her pinches."

"Yes, yes, go on," he said excitedly. "Give me an example."

"Once, Jasper came into my room and messed it up, claiming I had 'cheated' in a basketball game, and mom found out. She went ballistic; I didn't eat for two days."

**Edward's POV**

I watched as he tried to swallow. This was fun, I grinned. I should have gone to counseling a long time ago. It was well worth the trouble screwing with this guys mind.

Doctor Phil wasn't going to last long in this position.

**Bella's POV**

I walked into English class, and I felt like the day should already be half over. Trudging up to my desk, I dropped my pile of books down on it and saw the desk beside me was occupied.

"Hello Bella."

"Hello Jasper," I replied nicely. I really did like him, despite how idiotic his brother often was. I still couldn't believe they were related.

"So, do you like literature?"

I shrugged, "It's my favorite, but I don't mind the other subjects. I try to be well rounded as my other foster family used to say."

"That's a good thing to use as a goal."

I didn't have a chance to reply because the teacher chose that moment to start class.

"Good morning, today, we have a new student joining us from all the way south in Phoenix, Arizona. Everyone, this is Isabella Swan."

"Bella," I mumbled, my face flush red as I gave a tiny wave, as though trying to ward off the uncomfortable stares.

"Okay, so back to the agenda. Today I would like everyone to hand in your animal essays." She looked over to me. "You'll be excused from this assignment, because it's too late for you to complete it, but the basic idea is, every student was given an animal, and they had to write a seven page report on their findings using encyclopedia format."

I nodded, it seemed simple enough.

A boy whose name was Mike, turned around and shoved his paper in my face.

"Hey, Isabella-"

"It's just Bella."

"Right, well Bella, you should check out my paper, it's really sweet."

I skimmed the first page dutifully. It was surprisingly good. I did a quick assessment of Mike; I didn't ever really think he was this intelligent. Oh well, it just goes to show how misleading appearances are.

"Ah Mr. Cullen, where may I ask, were you?"

I looked up in time to catch Edward flash the English teacher a mega watt smile and hand her a piece of paper.

"Sorry Denise, I have an excuse this time, guess you can't give me a detention today after all."

She skimmed the note and set it down. "Take a seat Mr. Cullen, and that's Mrs. Landon to you."

To my surprise and I hated to admit a little bit of excitement, he slid into the desk two rows over from mine.

"Well Mr. Cullen, we've already turned in our papers, so I'll collect yours now."

He grinned and locked eyes with me before pulling out a stapled set of papers.

"Here you go."

She took the packet from him and started to walk away, then stopped.

"Edward, what is this?" She turned around and held up the papers.

I stared at them curiously. It almost looked like . . . no, not even he would do that.

"My report," he said innocently.

"Your report," she repeated, looking at the papers. "Edward, this is an encyclopedia article about the aardvark, copied from the book and stapled together. For heaven's sake, it even has _**Encyclopedia Millennia 2000 Copyright**_ at the bottom of each page."

Edward nodded. "But you'll find my name hand written at the top."

"That doesn't make it your work."

"I think you'll find that I fit your criteria exactly."

He was way too confident; I couldn't believe he had tried to pull this.

"Pray tell how?"

"You said that it needed to be handwritten or typed. I made sure it was both."

"That doesn't explain the fact that you didn't write a paper of your own words."

"Well, you didn't tell us to do that did you? All you directed us to do was to, and I quote 'turn in a seven page report on your findings using encyclopedia format.' I used a report; you didn't say it had to be my own. Those are my findings, I just cut out the middle man work, it's straight from the fact book. And also, I'm pretty sure you can't dispute the fact that it's in encyclopedia format."

She rolled her eyes. "That was entertaining and refreshing Edward, but I'm afraid I can't excuse plagiarism."

She drew a red F on his paper and handed it back to him.

"So this was just about the plagiarism?" He asked, seemingly confused.

"Yes Edward," she was obviously exasperated with him now, "plagiarism is bad, I thought you would have picked up on that by the eleventh grade."

"Well, why didn't you just say it was about the plagiarism? Are you planning on failing half the class?"

She looked at him. "No one else plagiarized Edward, just you."

He refused to back down.

"They just didn't do it as blatantly as I did. Hell, Newton's paper is plagiarized."

I looked at Mike who had just gone pale.

She raised one eyebrow. And then pulled out Mike's paper and skimmed over it. "And where's your proof?"

He shrugged. "Just look it up on It'll be on there with a big sold sign across the title."

"And how do you know?"

His mouth twitched. "I sold it to him for fifty bucks." He looked over at Mike and said in a mock whisper, "Listen buddy, next time, don't include you name in your account info, there's crazy people out there who could take advantage of a good looking boy like yourself."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Mike looked torn from being outraged that Edward revealed his secret, and pleased that Edward said he was good looking. It was just too much.

"Edward?"

"Yes Denise?"

"It's Mrs. Landon, and if you wrote this paper and really spent time and effort on this one, why would you not work on your own paper like this?"

"Well Denise," he said slowly as if he was trying to patiently explain himself to a child, a sexy grin stole over his face, "if you had offered me fifty bucks I would have given you Mike's paper."

A/N: Tell me what you thought. The more reviews, the sooner I update.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry it's been a little while. The reviews were awesome. I got soo many. THANKS SO MUCH. I love reviews I really do. This is going to be more for Bella than Edward in this one, but I hope you like it anyway. And yes, I'm sorry to have to put Bella in a bad home life, but she cannot run away yet. That would mess with the storyline, sorry. Don't worry; things will start to look up soon.

**Bella's POV**

"I feel so tired," Alice groaned as we made our way through the lunch line. "I stayed up half the night studying."

I grinned, "Was that studying or talking on the phone to Jasper?"

She rolled her eyes. "Only a day and you know me too well."

"Ugh," she made a face at the day old pizza on our trays. "That looks so gross."

"I don't care," I said truthfully, as I pushed my tray down to the register. The lunch lady rang me up. "I'm starving."

"And I'm Edward."

I jumped as I heard the new, yet familiar voice at my ear. I turned and he was leaning against the wall beside me. He looked at the lunch lady.

He winked at her and I swear I saw her eyes go dazed. "Don't mind her," he said in that irritatingly perfect tone, "she has some identity problems."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

I reached in my pocket for money, but a tan, very male hand beat me to it.

"Hey, I can't let you-"

"You just did," he put in smoothly. "Keep the change Glades." He took my tray and started walking in the direction of Emmett and Jasper. "Come on Starving, if your name is any indicator of your feelings we should hurry."

I looked at Alice helplessly. She shrugged, paid for her tray and talked over with me. She had been watching the whole exchange with a thoughtful expression and pursed lips.

I slid into the seat my tray was at, which just happened to be next to Edward himself.

I greeted Jasper and Emmett. Rosalie was out sick today with the flu.

Eagerly, I started on my pizza and in three minutes, I had moved onto my French fries. Emmett laughed. "Geez, don't they feed you at home?"

I forced a smile on my face. He was pretty close to the truth. I hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch. I had never got anything last night. And this morning I didn't exactly have time to stop for breakfast while I was sneaking out.

"So Mindy, what are you doing this Saturday?"

I choked on the orange juice I'd taken a sip of.

"Nothing with you."

He dramatically put a hand to his heart.

"Be careful with words that sharp. They could wound a person you know."

I rolled my eyes.

"But seriously," he continued, flashing me a crooked grin, "we could go some place, do some things."

"Like what?"

He made a slow perusal over my body and I felt like my skin was on fire every place his eyes touched. "Oh, I don't know," he teased seductively, "I'm sure we could find _something_ to do."

"That's it," I was startled as Alice slammed her palm down on the table, causing our trays to clink together. "Edward. Hallway. Now."

"Uh, oh," Emmett smirked as Alice grabbed Edward's arm and forcefully pulled him from the table.

"Hey, watch the merchandise," he shouted as she almost walked him into a table.

"What's going on" I asked confused.

Jasper sighed. "Oh, if Alice thinks there is a problem, she fixes it."

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine," Jasper assured me. "It's Edward, you should be worried about."

"Yeah," Emmett put in, "she's about the only one that can push him around and get away with it. Besides me and Jasper of course. We all grew up together, and Edward's always had this fear of her ever since . . ."

"What? Ever since what?"

Jasper chuckled, "Bella, I don't think Emmett should be telling you this story. I'm not sure Edward would be too happy with him if he did."

"Please," I wheedled, looking at Emmett.

He broke down after my puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, okay. So on Alice's street, there is this sign that says _Drive slow, children at play_." Jasper started laughing uncontrollably. I saw Jessica glance my way and glare at me harshly. I averted my gaze immediately, but I could see her get up and leave the cafeteria out of the corner of my eye.

"And so anyway, one day, or should I say night, when Edward was about 12, he asked me for some yellow paint and he went home, or at least, I thought he went home. The next day we were all going to Alice and Rosalie's house, when we passed the sign at the beginning of the street. The word _Drive_ had been painted over in yellow paint. It now read: _Slow children at play_. When Alice and Rosalie found out, Rosalie screamed at him and he just laughed. Alice didn't say a word, but the next morning, he woke up with pink hair."

I burst out laughing. I could just imagine a very shocked 12-year-old Edward waking up to very pink hair!

**Edward's POV**

"Geez you little shrew," I griped, rubbing my arm where she had gripped me. "You don't have nails, you have claws."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Stay away form Bella."

I gave her my most innocent look. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh, sure you don't."

"Listen, it's none of you business."

"Yes, it is, she's my friend and I'm going to protect her from you."

"Why ever would she need protecting from me, little sis?"

"Because you're a predator Edward, the most lethal kind and she's your prey. But she's too innocent, even for you. And don't call me your sister. I'm grateful not to be related to you."

"She doesn't look that innocent to me."

"Nothing looks innocent through your eyes."

I shrugged.

"I'm serious, just leave her alone. She has problems, real problems and she doesn't need you to make another issue for her to deal with."

"Who says I couldn't help solve some of her problems for her?"

"Edward, you don't help anyone, least of all yourself, so how do you think you could help her?"

Boy, she really knew how to cut a guy to the quick.

"And another thing . . ."

I tuned her out and looked back at the table. My eyes narrowed and my whole body tensed. Kyle. He had a hand on her shoulder and one on her neck.

I swear I growled.

**Bella's POV**

"But seriously Bella, he's acting strange. Well, stranger than normal," Emmett clarified.

I was immediately uncomfortable.

"Yeah, he never graces us with his presence at lunch. Or really school in general. He must really like you."

"Just be careful with him, he's a smooth operator."

I laughed slightly. "I don't think I'll have to worry about that."

They exchanged dubious glances.

I froze in mid-breath as a hand descended upon my shoulder. "Hello Bella."

It was Kyle.

I swallowed, my eyes wide.

"What are you doing here Peterson?" Emmett asked harshly.

His other hand had slid onto the back of my neck. His fingers lightly ran over my skin in a circular motion.

Stop! I wanted to scream. Get off of me! But I couldn't. I just stayed there, and prayed for him to leave.

"Remove the hand Kyle."

"Cullen," I heard Kyle utter disgustedly, "what are you doing actually inside the school?"

"It's really none of your business."

Kyle laughed, it just didn't sound happy on him.

"Well now, I would have to say the same thing to you. I was just greeting my new friend, Bella, here."

"She really doesn't seem to be reciprocating the gesture Kyle, so I would suggest you go greet your sister; she looked upset about something earlier."

"Oh, she'll get over it; Jessica always was a little impulsive." Regardless of what he said, his hands slid away from me. Grateful, I stepped out of my chair. As I started to walk past Kyle, he reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me close to him.

"We'll have a talk about this when you get home," he whispered in my ear, his hot breath blowing my hair as he spoke. I cringed away from him and hurried to a safe haven. The bathroom. I could feel people's eyes on me as I went.

**Kyle's POV**

I smirked as I caught the look on Cullen's face. Jessica was right, surprisingly. I had to give her credit, when it came to him, she knew her facts. That was just because she stalked him and was obsessed, but hey, who was I to argue when she came to me with such useful information.

"Nice isn't she," I commented, checking out her ass as she walked away.

Cullen looked incensed. I grinned.

Well, this was one conquest that he wasn't going to beat me to. Sure, she was technically the foster brat that my parents took in, but that didn't make her my sibling. And she would be mine. Cullen might think he has all the moves, but this wasn't going to go his way.

"Leave her alone Peterson," he muttered as we stood together, watching her disappear into the bathroom. It was strange; we were rarely in the same vicinity, let alone the same room. Conversations with the boy toy of Forks were rare indeed and I was determined to use this one to my advantage, just like I would use her.

"Sure," I said sarcastically. "Cullen, you're aware that I'm going to win this."

"She's not a prize," he said angrily.

I snorted, and a smirk deepened on my face. "That's funny coming from you."

"You're her brother," he said disgustedly, "that's just sick."

I nodded, "Yeah, if I was actually her brother it would be sick. She's just some foster brat though, not a relative."

"I'd pity anyone dependent on your family for their well-being," he bit out.

Wow, this girl must really have him hooked. She wasn't bad. I had to give his taste credit, she was hot.

"Well, it's certainly convenient living under the same room as her. Makes things easier doesn't it?" I said suggestively.

I didn't see the fist flying through the air, but I did feel the intense pain resounding after it. I hit the floor hard.

Shocked, I pushed myself up and rubbed my face. He would pay for that, or better yet, she would. I grinned to myself. I liked that idea better.

**Edward's POV**

"Nice isn't she," Peterson said, staring pointedly at Bella.

How dare he even look at her? She was much too innocent for the likes of him. Faintly I recalled Alice telling me about the same thing. Well, it wasn't the same. At least, not for me. Sure, I had my fun, but only if the other person knew exactly what that entailed. Despite what she said, I never went hunting like this monster did. I might be a player, but I wasn't a villain, not like him.

"Leave her alone Peterson," I said, aware of the strange fact that I was speaking to this slime.

"Sure, Cullen, you're aware that I'm going to win this."

"She's not a prize," I said angrily. Who did he think he was? Did he honestly think he was going to turn this into a competition between us?

"That's funny coming from you."

"You're her brother," I said disgustedly, "that's just sick." How could he even think like that?

He nodded, "Yeah, if I was actually her brother it would be sick. She's just some foster brat though, not a relative." So that was how he was going to play it, pretend like he wasn't her relative.

"I'd pity anyone dependent on your family for their well-being," I said vehemently.

Maybe there was a solution somewhere, somewhere else she could stay, somewhere safe. Somewhere away from him. He was the predator, not me, and if he knew what was good for him, he'd leave her alone.

"Well, it's certainly convenient living under the same room as her. Makes things easier doesn't it?" he said suggestively.

Rage flooded over me as I got an image of him taking advantage of her. I didn't know her for long, but I did know that someone like her would not sleep around willingly. I just lost it. I couldn't help myself. So I didn't. I punched him as hard as I could, I threw all my weight into it, and he went down like a shot. He hit the floor hard too. That brought a grin of satisfaction to my face. That would make him think again before touching her. Wait a minute. I was shocked that I was so possessive. I mean, sure normally I felt bad for people's situations, but I never went this far for someone before. I'd never had the urge to defend someone before, protect them.

He jumped up and got in my face. I was vaguely aware of the audience that I'd gathered. They were buzzing noisily.

"Okay, okay, break it up."

I looked up to see Mr. Banner walking toward us, a happy, vindictive smile on his face. I rolled my eyes. Karma would have it of course. I didn't care, I'd take it.

**Bella's POV**

The rest of school rolled by. Of course, I heard about Edward punching Kyle. A little shiver of happiness flooded through me. Even if it wasn't for me, which it probably wasn't, Kyle had still gotten punched.

Jasper (Rosalie was sick, so Jasper and Alice drove me home) pulled up to my house and slowed down. I stared at it, unwilling to get out. Alice looked at me sympathetically.

"You can come to my house if you want to for a little while, stay overnight even."

I smiled at her. She was so nice. I wish I could do that.

"No, that's okay, I was just thinking."

I opened the door and got out. The car pulled away, leaving me there.

When I walked inside, Jessica was in the kitchen fiddling with some things in the refrigerator.

I didn't see anyone else. I was grateful for that and went up to my 'room.'

I worked on homework for two hours. After that, I picked up my journal and wrote a short story in it, to pass the time. Once I'd written the story, I reread it. I was disgusted with myself. Come on, I told myself. In reality, there are no princes to save the damsel in distress; the damsel has to save herself.

In disgust, I tore up the story and threw it away.

An hour later, there was a knock at the door.

It was Heidi.

"Come down if you want to eat," she said in a lifeless tone.

Well, I guessed I was coming down.

Rodger was sitting at the table and the rest of the family was filling their plates. Grabbing a plate, I sat down too. Kyle wasn't there.

We ate in silence. That was fun.

After I finished eating, I rinsed off my plate and started up the first flight of stairs. Maybe I was just unlovable. Maybe that's why I was put with people who were incapable of loving.

"Girl, come back down here NOW!"

I jumped as I heard Rodger shout. I hurried back down the stairs.

He was standing there, looking very angry. What could I have possibly done?

"Yes?"

He answered by backhanding me across the face.

I stumbled back, knocking into a chair.

I held an icy hand to my throbbing face. What was going on?

"Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said in a shaky voice.

He took me by the arm and roughly shoved me toward the refrigerator, and shoved my head inside.

"Do you see my drinks in there?"

I shook my head.

"I saw her drinking one when we came home from school Dad," I heard Jessica say.

What!?! I never drank anything. He must mean his beer. Well, I never touched . . . Jessica had been by the refrigerator . . .

She smiled at me.

I realized what she had done before I receive another punch to my face. That one hurt a lot more. I was then thrown against the wall. I tried to crawl away, but he put his boot down on the bare flesh of my ankle and stepped down. I cried out in pain.

"Don't ever touch something of mine again? Got it?" I shook my head, concentrating on not crying. He released the pressure.

"Get out of my sight," he ordered.

Gladly.

I got up hurriedly and limped up the stairs.

**Two Hours Later**

I was nursing my face with a cold wash cloth, when I heard a slamming sound. The front door probably, I thought to myself. I hoped it was someone leaving. I heard the pounding of footsteps on the stairs. Nope, obviously not.

Suddenly, my door was slammed open.

Kyle.

I jumped a little.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he closed the door behind him. It clicked ominously.

He turned to look at me, anger all over his face.

"Don't ever disrespect me like that in public again, he said, reaching out and touching my hand. I jerked it away.

"Don't touch me," the words were impressive, but my voice wasn't strong.

He grimaced. "Obviously Cullen's been catching."

Then he smiled again. "You know, Cullen hit me today. Did you know that?"

I stayed still.

"Told me to stay away from you." He shook his head sadly. "No one tells me what to do."

My heart was pounding.

He grabbed my wrists in a viselike grip and I was frozen, like a deer in headlights.

He leaned in and when his face was inches from mine, he laughed and whispered, "Well, this is what I think of Cullen's little warning."

Then his mouth was on mine and I was jolted into action. I started to fight his grip and tried to jerk away. He was too strong though, and he knew it. I winced as he kept kissing me hard, making the swollen spots on my face ache in pain.

He moved my hands into his one, and then let his hand travel up my shirt. I was disgusted, and I couldn't stop him. I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face, and tried to block out what was happening. Finally, he got off of me, laughing and walked out the door saying, "Goodnight Bella."

As soon as he closed the door, I jumped up and still crying, pushed the dresser in front of my door. I should have put it there in the first place. I was an idiot.

It wasn't my entire fault though, it was Edward's too. Whatever he had said to Kyle, it had caused him to do this. If I could get Edward to leave me alone, then Kyle would too and this whole thing would be over that much quicker. I tried to repress what had just happened, but every time I did, I saw Kyle, hovering above me saying, "Well, this is what I think of Cullen's little warning."

Edward, what did you do? I thought desperately.

A/N: So, what did you think? Next chapter will have Edward's punishment, and him finding out about Kyle. Maybe a little confrontation, I'm not sure. Anyway, review and tell me what you thought, thanks!


	6. Author's Note Help Needed!

A/N: Hey guys! Please don't start on the tardiness of this. And this is not an update. I know that this is bad, evil, and vile even, of me to leave one of these, but I wouldn't if I wasn't in desperate straits. I need help with this story, plot wise, severe writer's block-wise. In every way, I need some direction for this! I am looking for a beta for this story only. I have looked at the betas on the site, but I want someone who really likes this story and is vested in its survival. I know I am. I have some ideas, but I would like to have a partner in this project. So if any of you are interested please, please, please p.m. me. I don't want to have to discontinue this story because I love it so much. You wouldn't have to bother with the grammar if you don't want to, I have that under control. So you would sort of be a confidant instead of an editor. Please just don't review this because I will be deleting this soon. Not to go into things, but once I was quite rudely threatened that I would be reported for leaving an A/N. Sorry, but this is my last hope! So I will delete this later and again, don't review, p.m. instead. Please help me out!

Zaneytwilightgirl


	7. Author's Note This is Bad!

A/N: This summer is just really not going well. At all. I went on vacation right after I posted my last message and was really excited to see if anyone wanted to help me with this story. When I got back last night, I saw a lot of p.m.'s. At least, I glimpsed them right before my sister deleted all messages from my e-mail account. I don't even think I can communicate the way I feel right now. I seriously am upset. So I just wanted to say that I'm really, really sorry if you left me a message. Unfortunately, I never got to read it. Let's just say my sister's lucky to be alive right now. I feel awfully bad at asking you again, but could you please re-p.m. me if you want to be my beta? Sorry, but that one was out of my control. Please accept my apologies and if you still want to do it, just ask. My writer's block is starting to ease and I've written some for the next installment of this actually, but I still want a beta. Really sorry!

Zaneytwilightgirl


	8. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm back! Hopefully. First, I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions they were all very helpful, and I considered them all before selecting the course this story's going to take. Second, I appreciate everyone who volunteered to be my beta. It actually took me a long time to decide, my inbox was overrun with messages. And I was worried no one would volunteer! Also, thanks to my new betas, twilightlover140 and Unoriginalscreename for helping me raise this to grammatical perfection. I hope I can keep this story rolling. Hope you like it!

**Third Person**

"Edward, Edward, Edward," Dr. Coleman sighed in dissatisfaction at the report in front of him. The secretary, a woman who looked uncannily like his last fiancé, had dropped it off earlier before (he could scarcely believe it), winking at the youth lying on his couch. Maybe he should have a counseling session with her, he thought productively. Now, he directed his mind, back to the matter at hand.

"What happened Edward? I thought we were making some real progress here." The doctor looked at him sadly. The boy really had potential, he knew it.

"You know what they say Dr. Phil, 'Rome wasn't built in a day.'"

"Yes, that's true Edward, but we're not trying to build an empire, just a good relationship."

"Dr. Phil, I feel uncomfortable when you refer to a relationship between us. I don't like what you're implicating."

The older man sputtered and started coughing.

"No, no Edward, you misunderstood, I was just trying to create a common bond between us—"

The boy pressed into his seat with a look of undisguised horror on his face.

"NO! No, you're misunderstanding me again—I'm just trying to connect with you—I wanted to get you to . . ." He trailed off.

"It's alright Dr. Phil; I think I get what you're trying to say."

"I'm sorry for the confusion," Dr. Coleman muttered, staring fixedly at the desk in front of him.

"Hey, we all have those kinds of days; I won't hold it against you."

"Well, I apologize for any conclusions you drew from my—"

"No, no," the boy held up his hand, "it's completely fine. You're forgiven."

"Okay."

The boy walked out of the room in an easy gait.

I relaxed back in my chair. A possible situation had just been avoided. I smiled in satisfaction. Communication was the key.

**Edward's POV**

"Room NOW!"

"Mom, I was just—."

Her face was so tense it was actually kind of frightening; I hoped she wasn't having a stroke or something. I turned to go up to my room.

"Just where do you think you are going?"

I turned around. "My room?"

"Don't back talk me young man. How dare you, _dare you_? How could you blasphemy your father and brother and me like that?"

Wow, when she isn't speaking in grammatically correct sentences that is a bad sign.

I attempted to contain my eye roll. "It was just a little joke."

"Joke? _JOKE_? You call accusing your brother of beating you funny? Do you think it's amusing to say your father abandons you? And just how many chuckles do you think you would get out of seeing me walk into a meeting with your psychologist and be reprimanded for abusing you?"

"Well . . ."

"Oh, please go on Edward, I'm really interested to hear what you can come up with for this one." She crossed her arms and waited.

"It was Doctor Phil."

Silence.

"You see, he kind of forced me into saying those things and then he embellished them. I was scared and intimidated. I didn't know what to do. I thought if I said what he wanted to hear, he would be happy." I was on a roll, there was no stopping me. I took a deep breath and presented my horrified saint look, the one I reserved for extreme circumstances. "He brainwashed me Mom."

**Bella's POV**

My face was beyond repair. I looked into the mirror in my room. There was a swollen lump above my right eyebrow with a cut from where Roger's ring had caught my skin and on the other side, my left cheekbone was puffy and a sickly purple color. My bottom lip was swollen and bruised with a cut from where Kyle had bitten it. My ankle was easier. I could conceal that injury. The limp would prove a little tough, but I could pull it off . . . I hoped. Gingerly, I tested my foot on the floor, putting some pressure on it.

"Ahh," I moaned softly, forgetting about my lip and biting into it. Blood pooled in my mouth. Dizziness assailed me. I took a couple of stumbling steps and backed into the wall. Dark colors flooded my sight and I felt myself sinking.

**Alice's POV**

"Is Rose still sick?" Jasper asked me as we talked on the phone. I was in my bedroom absently sketching some clothing ideas.

"Yes, she's still got the flu. It was really sweet tonight though."

"Oh?"

"Emmett came over and tried to make her chicken soup." I giggled as I remembered the escapade. "I suppose it was partially my fault. I knew the saucepan was too small. But honestly, who knew that soup could catch on fire?"

Jasper sounded aghast. "Are you okay? You didn't get burned or anything did you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," I assured him quickly, while I smiled internally. He was so caring toward me.

"Edward's been acting strange lately," he commented absently.

"Huh."

"Do you think it's because of Bella?"

"Mmm."

"Alice." The tone was a warning.

"Okay, okay, I give." I threw up my hands in defeat. "I just don't think your brother's good enough for her. His life's all screwed up and she's got to have it tough living with the demonic quartet. Maybe if he was different they would work together, but they couldn't make it with his irresponsibility to everyone and everything, even himself. Why doesn't he care?"

"I don't know, but he's heading down a bad path, you're right about that. At least, he was until Bella came. Maybe his strange behavior is because of her. Maybe she's changing him for the better."

Jasper was far too hopeful. I just had a feeling . . .

"I wish he was changing for the better Jasper, I really do. I just have a feeling this is a temporary thing. I feel like he hasn't truly changed yet. He will hurt her." My instincts were strong in this. If Edward could get it together they would be a great couple. But until he made the choice to change for the better, I wouldn't know for sure.

I finished talking with Jasper and went down to the kitchen to get something to drink. Suddenly, it hit me. Bella was in trouble. I just knew in that instant something was wrong. I grabbed up the phone.

It rang several times, the shrill ring making my stomach muscles clench tighter together.

"Hello?"

Ugh, Kyle.

"Kyle, can I talk to Bella? It's Alice."

"Oh, Alice, right," he drawled in a tone that worried me, "well, sorry but, Bella's a little, uh . . . disposed of at the moment. In fact, I probably wouldn't call again for a while."

The dial tone's flat sound came across the receiver.

I slowly closed my eyes and did the one thing I had just sworn to myself I wouldn't do. I started to dial.

**Bella's POV**

"Oh no. No!" The frantic hushed voice whispered through my foggy mind. "Bella, Bella, come on."

I cracked one eye open. It was still dark outside.

I shifted slightly. My entire face ached and my ankle twinged when I tried to sit up. I groaned.

"Bella, it's me."

I remembered the voice and started. Edward's face was inches from mine, peering over me.

"What are you . . . ," I rubbed a hand over my face lightly, trying to come back to Earth. "What are you doing in here?"

"Alice called, said I needed to get over here pronto. I came."

"I can see that," I mumbled. Why would Alice—

"She tried to call but _Kyle_," he snarled the word, "answered. So she sent me here to check on you. It's a good thing she did, what went on here? What happened to you?" He seemed to rethink the situation. "No, better yet, let's get you out of here first, and then talk about the specifics."

"Wait," I held up a hand. "First of all, how did you get in here?"

He gave me the briefest of grins. "The window."

"I live in an attic."

The grin reappeared once more. "You have a very nice tree."

My gaze flitted over to the branches swaying in front of my open window.

"Now, let's go."

I gave him a look as I pulled my hair in front of my bruises; it was still too dark for him to see them. "Why should I go with you anywhere?"

"Do you seriously think you can stay here now?"

No. I didn't say the word, but my expression must have given me away.

"I thought so. Can we hurry, because as much as I wouldn't mind giving Kyle a few more good swings; I don't think this is the time or the place."

"We can't exactly walk out the front door," I said frustrated.

"Obviously. We're going out the window."

I looked at him in horror. Even if my ankle wasn't swelled to the size of a grapefruit, I was definitely not coordinated enough to climb down the tree.

He turned around and held out his arms. "Hop on."

"Are you kidding me?" I whispered.

"Seriously, I'm going to carry you down."

I was probably insane for not putting up an argument, but I just wanted an escape. I grabbed my bag and tried to disguise my limp as I filled it with all I had. I threw it on my back and then stood behind Edward.

"Um . . . how exactly . . . ?"

He sighed impatiently and grasped me behind the knees and hauled me up his back.

"Oh," I breathed out in surprise as I came in full contact with his body. His intoxicating scent assaulted my senses.

"Hold on tight," he whispered to me, gently shifting my weight and then ducking out the window.

I let out a whimper. We were really high up.

"So, is it a bad time to mention I'm afraid of heights?"

"Just close your eyes, we'll be down in no time."

I took a deep breath and tightly pinched my eyes shut. Surprisingly, without my sight, I almost didn't realize we were climbing. He was so graceful and smooth with his movements. I heard the rustling of leaves as he swiftly made his way down the tree.

"All done."

I slid down his back, savoring the sensation of his body touching mine and then slowly the world came back into focus.

"Where are we going to go?"

"Just hurry," he took my hand. "Do you really want to be seen out here?"

I tried to walk quickly and stifle the knife-hot pain that was shooting up my leg. Just after I passed the point of no return on the pain level, we stopped. We were in front of a nice older home that was white with a huge porch and three stories.

"Where are we?"

As if on cue, the door, then the screen door opened and Emmett walked out onto the porch. "Bella?"

I looked at Edward and he shrugged.

"Well, his dad's a lawyer."

A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked it. It was a long time coming, I think.


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